As one of the City’s largest employers, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) helps build a skilled and diverse local workforce that helps manage our water, power and sewer systems. The SFPUC’s workforce development services help connect qualified local community members with career development training, barrier removal resources, and opportunities for trades union careers. Meet one of the success stories from these services: Harold E. Hill.
Harold is from an area of the Bayview Hunter’s Point neighborhood that was steeped in historical disadvantages. Prior to entering the building trades, he had tried on many hats in attempts to find his footings, some of them winding him up in prison. Eventually, a family member exposed him to an appealing option: a construction gig at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
“I just had to make a change to where I don’t live like that anymore,” shared Harold. “I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder, having to worry about if somebody’s going to come and harm me. I had to make a choice.”
Building His Career with SFPUC Support
He took the construction job at SFO, but the work was short-term, and he needed support to make construction a long-term, stable career. Given the under-resourced history of his neighborhood and background, however, that was an uphill battle. “(At that time) I didn’t have a whole lot of people backing me to where it could just be easy,” he remarked, “where, if one job ended, I’d have another one lined up and ready to go. No, I had to go knock on a lot of doors.”
Fortunately, one of the doors he knocked on was that of now SFPUC Labor Relations Specialist, Brian Thomas. In their initial meeting, Brian built rapport with Harold and got a deeper assessment of what he was bringing and capable of. As Brian recalls, “Harold was driven, an independent thinker, and wasn’t going to let anybody beat him.” As Harold recalls, “I think Brian saw something in me that I couldn’t yet see myself.”
Brian walked him through the steps needed to get connected with the appropriate trades union, how to be successful on the job, support for removing initial barriers, and eventually identified a potential opportunity for his first job on an SFPUC project.
Now, more than 15 years and multiple jobs later as a journeyman laborer with Local 261, Brian and Harold continue to be in regular contact: Harold uses the best practices he learned from Brian, and Brian notifies Harold when opportunities become available. Harold has become the pinnacle of the type of worker contractors want on their teams. Brian notes, “I’ve got contractors calling me saying, ‘Where did you get him from, and where can we get more like him?’”
Harold adds with humility, “Thanks to Brian and a couple other guys, I was able to get on my feet, get established, and make the best out of a bad situation.”
Finding Success Through Sacrifice and Determination
Along with the external support, the keys to Harold’s success have been consistency, determination, and focus. He keeps a tight routine and doesn’t let distractions get in the way. “I think straightforward,” he said. “I make sure I make it to work early, no matter what it takes. In the mornings I might hit traffic, or there might be an accident on the freeway. So, I’m in bed early, get up early, and I’m on my way to work early. That routine has been working for me for the past 15 years.”
Developing this determination and tight routine hasn’t come without its challenges. “The steps I took to change my life came with a lot of loneliness, heartbreak, and separation,” he reflected. “You’ve got to cut a lot of old habits out and separate yourself from some people, but that’s part of healing and finding yourself. “For anything to change, you’ve got to be willing to make that change. And I wanted to make a change to get up out of that environment.”
Creating a Lasting Impact
With his solid career and hard-earned reputation as a reliable and efficient journeyman laborer, Harold has gone from an upbringing in poverty to now owning property. He enjoys the stability he has been able to create: getting a regular paycheck, making sure the bills are paid and there’s food on the table, providing for his children, and having a secure retirement and pension. He’s even considering building accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on his property to provide housing for others and additional income for his family.
“I grew up without a dad I could depend on, so I’ve wanted to be there for my own kids,” said Harold. "And if it’s in God’s grace, I want to leave them something, so they won’t have to struggle like I had to.”
Harold expressed gratitude for the continued support of Brian and the SFPUC, his mother and siblings for helping shape him, local organizations in Bayview Hunters Point that helped him get established, San Francisco Police Acting Captain Bill Conley, and the contractors that have opened doors for his career such as J. Flores Construction, Hosely, Bertco Inc., and General Superintendent Tyrone Evans at Webcor.
Harold’s former struggles to find his footing are now being replaced with stability, a construction career and ecosystem that commends his abilities, and a humble yet confident demeanor for himself. “All you got to do is get me in the door, and I’ll do the rest.”